Document type : article published in La France agricole
Author : Laurine Mongenier
Preview: From January 1, 2023, the French egg industry will cease the practice of crushing male chicks. In response, the CNPO has concluded an inter-professional agreement to cover the costs that will be incurred by this change in practice.
On Wednesday, November 9, 2022, Yves-Marie Beaudet, President of the CNPO (the French egg inter-professional group), and Marc Fesneau, the French Minister for Agriculture, reaffirmed their joint commitment to end the culling of male chicks by January 1, 2023. They did so while attending the CNPO's professional information day.
A commitment of 50 million per annum to cover costs. incurred
Since the decree was issued on February 5, the CNPO and the Ministry have been working together to develop technical and financial tools to support professionals in this transition. While individual hatcheries have invested significant sums in new equipment, the inter-professional group has assumed responsibility for finding a financing agreement that could cover the additional costs associated with the cessation of this practice.
For its part, the French State, through FranceAgriMer, provided some 10.5 million euros to part fund the installation of machines in hatcheries that can determine an embryo's sex while still in the shell. The result of all these discussions, an inter-professional agreement, was reached on 14 October 2022. This agreement sees the implementation of an inter-professional contribution that will allow responsibility for the costs of the new technologies to be shared between hatcheries and the distribution sector.
A contribution of 0.59 €/100 eggs, will be collected by the packing centres when they sell to retailers, and passed on to the CNPO, which will compensate the hatcheries, at a rate of €1.11 per ovulated chick/male raised. This will cover all the additional costs of sexing in ovo which, it is estimated, will amount to 50 million euros per year. In addition, the Ministry, through FranceAgriMer, will monitor and assess changes in costs so that the support provided can be adjusted where necessary.
Success in providing for the industry's future
Yves-Marie Beaudet views this agreement as a success for the industry, which "is committed to working with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty to find technical and financial routes to end the culling of male chicks.
Bringing an end to the crushing of male chicks in the egg industry is a major step forward in terms of animal welfare," said Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau. A long-awaited move, it meets a strong public expectation from consumers and animal protection associations. The commitments made have been fulfilled and I commend the work carried out by the inter-professional group and its members to make this a collective success."
Harmonisation at European level
While the French inter-professional group is pleased to find itself ahead of Germany in implementing these changes to practice, it is counting on the Ministry to work to ensure the harmonisation of the ban on crushing male chicks at European level. The CNPO wishes to continue its work so that this approach can be rolled out to all Member States as part of the revision of European animal welfare regulations planned for 2023.
See also the Press Release of November 9, 2022: from the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty: Fin de l’élimination des poussins mâles en filière poules pondeuses au 1er janvier 2023 : un engagement tenu par le Gouvernement et les professionnels de la filière
